Cormorant Neotropic - Kormoran oliwkowy
Description
Most commonly found in the American tropics and subtropics, the Neotropic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus) is a fairly large bird that generally nests around well-watered areas or lakes and rivers. Besides being found on the mainland of North America as far up as Rio Grand and the Californian coast through to Mexico, Central America and the southern parts of South America, it can also be found on smaller landmasses such as the Bahamas, Cuba and Trinidad. Most of these birds are permanent residents, though some do wander north in the warmer months. Because the bird is so widespread, some ornithologists prefer to treat those found north as one species and those found in the south as another species.
Non-migratory species, but evidences point out that some birds have a wide dispersion mainly along the river courses, up to 1,400 km from the born site.
Most commonly found in the American tropics and subtropics, the Neotropic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus) is a fairly large bird that generally nests around well-watered areas or lakes and rivers. Besides being found on the mainland of North America as far up as Rio Grand and the Californian coast through to Mexico, Central America and the southern parts of South America, it can also be found on smaller landmasses such as the Bahamas, Cuba and Trinidad. Most of these birds are permanent residents, though some do wander north in the warmer months. Because the bird is so widespread, some ornithologists prefer to treat those found north as one species and those found in the south as another species.
Non-migratory species, but evidences point out that some birds have a wide dispersion mainly along the river courses, up to 1,400 km from the born site.
Habitat
Inland and coastal wetlands, including fresh-water marshes, lakes, lagoons and rivers; blackish lagoons, marine coasts, offshore islands, estuaries, tidal creeks and saltmarshes, fishing ponds and rice fields.
Voice
These cormorants have a distinct sound they make which sounds very much like a pig’s grunt.
Diet
Mostly eating fish, the Neotropic Cormorant also will eat small amphibians and sometimes even tadpoles, shrimp and water insects. This cormorant forages for food by diving underwater, propelling itself by its feet. Its dives are brief, between 5 and 15 seconds but often hunt in groups, beating the water with their wings to scare up the fish. But they also eat tadpoles, frogs, and aquatic insects.
Mostly eating fish, the Neotropic Cormorant also will eat small amphibians and sometimes even tadpoles, shrimp and water insects. This cormorant forages for food by diving underwater, propelling itself by its feet. Its dives are brief, between 5 and 15 seconds but often hunt in groups, beating the water with their wings to scare up the fish. But they also eat tadpoles, frogs, and aquatic insects.
Reproduction
They often nest in trees or shrubs creating a structure of sticks sometimes held together by their own feces and sometimes lined with grass, feathers, sea-weed or shells. These birds usually live and nest in colonies but are monogamous. Neotropic Cormorants lay from one to five light- blue eggs with an incubation period of usually no more than 30 days. Most often only one clutch is laid per year even though the chicks become independent around 10 to 12 weeks of age.
Did you know?
In the Shetland Islands they know that the Cormorant is very easily domesticated, and when treated with kindness will become exceedingly docile, exhibiting a very high degree of intelligence, and an amount of affection scarcely to be expected from a bird which in its wild state is remarkable for its extreme shyness of man.
In Norwegian myths and folklore, three cormorants flying together are said to be carrying messages and warnings from the dead. In northern Norway, cormorants are considered to be good luck when they gather in a village. Norwegian myth also states that people who die at sea can visit their former homes in the form of a cormorant.
In Greek folklore fables the cormorant was once a wool-merchant. He entered into a partnership with the bramble and the bat, and they freighted a large ship with wool. She was wrecked and the firm became bankrupt. Since that disaster the bat skulks about until midnight to avoid his creditors, the cormorant is forever diving into the deep to discover its foundered vessel, while the bramble seizes hold of every passing sheep to make up the firm’s loss by stealing the wool.
Near the shores of the Zambesi river, in the shallow lake through which the Shire flows after leaving the Nyassa, the natives drive piles in the bottom, at a distance from shore, and rising a foot above the surface. An elastic piece of wood, with a noose attached, is placed on the main pile, and serves to trap the Cormorants and Darters, which come to rest on them.
photo by Rathika Ramasamy
Wikimedia
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